China plans to boost defense spending by 12 percent

In U.S. dollars, China will be boosting its defense budget from $117 billion to approximately $132 billion, the biggest military increase in the last three years, Reuters reports. The military expansion includes investments in computer software technology and a boost in spending for their navy, one capable of operating in international waters.

Premier Li Keqiang, China’s head of government, spoke about the defense budget increases at the opening of China’s annual session of the National People’s Congress on Wednesday. Keqiang said China would “strengthen research on national defense and the development of new and high technology weapons and equipment” and “enhance border, coastal and air defenses.”

“It fits into a broader pattern that we’re seeing,” said Chris Johnson, the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I think they’re still biding their time but they’re not hiding their strength any more.”

China observers, such as Johnson, also a former China analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, point out that China has rapidly increased its defense spending for the past two decades.

In part, this is due to the perception that China needs to strengthen itself if the U.S. is to “pivot” toward Asia. The foreign policy decision, announced by President Obama in 2011, is a maneuver that the Chinese believe involves creating alliances that check Chinese power, Johnson told the NewsHour.

Left:
A Chinese People's Liberation Army, PLA, officer practices conducting the military band before the opening session of the 12th National People's Congress, NPC, in Beijing. The Chinese government annouced its 2014 budget Wednesday, including a 12.2 percent increase in defense spending. Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images